Author: Gulf News Week
Just a month before US elite troops forcibly removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power, the former president of another country in the region – who had been found guilty of very similar drug trafficking charges – found himself in the opposite situation: pardoned and freed from jail.The ex-president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, was serving a 45-year sentence in an American prison when US President Donald Trump granted him a “full and complete pardon”, prompting an outcry among human rights groups and victims across Central America.Speaking to the BBC from the US, Hernández says he is “thankful and just…
Surrey Police says it is investigating two separate allegations of “non-recent child sexual abuse” following the US release of the files related to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The force says that one relates to locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid 1990s to 2000. The other relates to the mid to late 1980s in west Surrey.No arrests have been made, it added.In a statement, police said it took “all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence”.It said it has become aware of a…
The suspension will be effective for 30 days starting Tuesday, according to the country’s state news agencyBahrain said on Tuesday it is suspending the entry of foreign travellers arriving from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.The suspension will take effect for 30 days starting Tuesday, according to the state news agency.Bahrain has become the first GCC country and one of the few globally to introduce travel restrictions linked to Ebola as a precautionary step to protect public health and prevent the virus from entering the Kingdom.Jordan has also suspended the…
The son of Mango founder Isak Andic has been arrested in connection with his father’s death. Jonathan Andic, 43, was detained by Catalan police on Tuesday as part of a renewed investigation into the death of the fashion tycoon, which was initially treated as an accident but was later reopened. Isak, 71, died in December 2024 after falling from a ravine while walking in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona with his son. There have been conflicting media reports about whether they were alone or if other family members were present.Jonathan has previously denied responsibility for his father’s death.Getty ImagesIsak Andic…
The UAE ministry said the country detected and engaged a total of six drones, over the past 48 hours[Editor’s Note: Follow the media live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]UAE has revealed the source of attacks near Barakah nuclear plant. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the three drones on May 17, along with the drones intercepted subsequently, all originated from Iraqi territory.The UAE ministry said the country detected and engaged a total of six drones, over the past 48 hours, which attempted to target civilian and vital areas in the country.On the same day that…
A mosque security guard is being remembered for courageous actions that authorities say saved lives in the attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego that left three people dead.The security guard was Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (CAIR-SD) Tazheen Nizam told the BBC. “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference on Monday. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”Abdullah and two others – who CAIR-SD named as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad – were killed by two yet-to-be-identified teenage attackers…
During Jeffrey Epstein’s first spell in jail, a 13-month sentence for soliciting sex from an under-age girl, prison records show one woman visited him at least 67 times.That woman was Nadia Marcinko. Marcinko was Epstein’s main girlfriend for seven years – his most significant partner after Ghislaine Maxwell – and in later years, an assistant pilot of his private plane.She is comparatively unknown to the public, but she may soon find herself in the spotlight.Marcinko is one of four women who were named as Epstein’s “potential co-conspirators” in a 2008 plea deal that granted them immunity from prosecution. Now, two…
The bodies of two Italians who drowned in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been brought to the surface, local officials have told the BBC.”They were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave by the specialist divers from Finland after a two-hour operation,” Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson told the BBC.The two bodies were being brought to the capital Male for identification.They were among five people who died in the accident. Two bodies remain inside.Then on Saturday a Maldivian rescue diver died during a search for the bodies.The four missing divers were…
The updated Wage Protection System removes the 15-day grace period for payments during which late payments were not immediately flaggedFrom June 1, if you are a private sector employee in the UAE, your company must pay your salary by the first day of each month under the new Wage Protection System rules (WPS). Salary paid after the first day will be considered delayed.While salaries are due on the first day of the month, authorities begin taking action almost immediately in a phased manner, with warnings starting from Day 2 and penalties escalating if delays continue.With the updated rules, the UAE…
As they strolled through Tiananmen Square in Beijing last September, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to muse over the possibility that organ transplants could dramatically extend human life.”Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and even achieve immortality”, Putin’s interpreter was heard saying.”Some predict that in this century, humans may live up to 150 years old,” Xi’s interpreter was heard responding.Kremlin Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)The hot-mic moment gave a tantalising glimpse into the relationship This was a rare insight into what is quite a misunderstood partnership. This…